Michael Jordan Wouldn’t Have Gotten Criticized Like LeBron James For Not Wanting To Play Christmas Day, Says Rich Paul

Christmas Day games in the NBA are arguably the most exciting spectacles of the regular season. For fans, it is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday, watching the league’s best compete across five consecutive games on one of the most festive nights of the year. For the players, however, it requires a significant sacrifice, especially for someone like LeBron James, who has been doing this for over two decades.

James, in an interview, admitted that he would rather sit at home with his family than play in the Lakers’ Christmas clash against the Rockets. It’s set to be his 20th appearance on December 25th, which speaks volumes.

There was, however, criticism thrown at Bron for saying this. His agent, Rich Paul, insisted that had it been Michael Jordan saying something of this magnitude, he would not have been thrown under the bus by public opinion.

In an interview on the Game Over podcast, Paul said, “When you talk about being present, you’re taking that [Christmas] away, but it’s also your job. So, what I also saw him say was, I’m looking forward to it — people skip over that — and he also said that it’s something that he’s honored to be able to do.” 

“But if you asked me what I would rather do,” Paul continued, talking on behalf of James, “I would rather be with my family, just like anyone else.”  

Paul, then, tried to explain how the subject became huge just because it was Bron who dropped the bombshell admission. “My problem with it is, if that was anybody else who said that it would’ve been like…” he said, making an ‘indifference’ gesture.

“10 years from now if you play that to somebody or see MJ say that to Ahmad Rashad it’ll be like,” Paul added, making the same gesture, hinting that there would be no hate towards Jordan.

Rich Paul on the criticism LeBron received for saying he’d rather spend time with his family than play on Christmas Day

“My problem with it is, if that was anybody else who said that it would’ve been like ‍♂️. 10 years from now if you play that to somebody or see MJ say that… pic.twitter.com/FdHs5GgKFi

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 22, 2025

Paul has a point, of course. In today’s NBA, players who make bold claims are heavily criticized, with millions of people able to react instantly through social media and the internet. That said, it is not as though Michael Jordan had it easy.

Jordan never made comments like this publicly, but he was constantly under scrutiny in his own era. In the social media age, however, he has largely remained away from the NBA spotlight. So, it is possible that even Jordan disliked playing on Christmas. He just never said it on record, so we will never know.

Ultimately, it is a sacrifice the game’s greatest players have to make, even though most would rather spend the holiday at home with their families.